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Outdoor gathering rules ease in NSW on Monday for double-vaxxed
By Michaela Whitbourn
As reported yesterday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a road map for easing restrictions for fully vaccinated people in the state once 70 per cent of people aged 16 and over have received both jabs.
On current estimates the state will reach that milestone in about mid-October.
But there will also be some new freedoms for fully vaccinated people in NSW starting on Monday. Last month, the Berejiklian government announced a relaxation of outdoor gathering rules that will start this Monday (September 13) for fully vaccinated people.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday.Credit:James Brickwood
Today, NSW Health announced some small tweaks to those rules:
- From 12.01am on Monday, people who live outside the local government areas of concern will be allowed to gather outdoors for recreation in groups of up to five fully vaccinated adults (children under 12 will no longer be counted in the total) in their LGA, or within five kilometres from home.
- For people who live in the LGAs of concern, households with all adults fully vaccinated will be able to gather outdoors for recreation (including picnics). This is for up to two hours (up from one hour), must not occur during the 9pm to 5am curfew and must be within five kilometres from home. These two recreation hours are in addition to exercise.
The local government areas of concern are: Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield and the Penrith suburbs of Caddens, Claremont Meadows, Colyton, Erskine Park, Kemps Creek, Kingswood, Mount Vernon, North St Marys, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, St Clair and St Marys.
Victorian tribunal hearings postponed after potential COVID-19 exposure
By Rachel Eddie
All hearings listed at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) today and Monday have been postponed after a potential COVID-19 exposure.
A spokesperson said the tribunal was working closely with the Department of Health “in relation to a potential exposure of a COVID-19 case at a VCAT premises earlier this week”.
“All VCAT matters listed for Friday 10 September and Monday 13 September have been postponed. Parties that are impacted by these adjournments will be updated on their new hearing dates as soon as possible.”
‘Most free and open society in Australia’: WA records zero new cases of COVID-19
By Michaela Whitbourn
Western Australia has recorded zero new cases of COVID-19 in the community.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said over 57 per cent of West Australians aged 16 and over had now received a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 36 per cent had received both doses.
“Obviously as we get more vaccines, particularly Pfizer, we’ll be able to increase that,” he said.
WA Premier Mark McGowan.Credit:Matt Jelonek
“We’re certainly the most free and open society in Australia; perhaps the world,” Mr McGowan said. “We’re doing very well economically and in a health sense.”
Mr McGowan delivered the WA budget yesterday and warned “wildly angry” states against attempting to dismantle GST reforms after his government posted one of the country’s largest-ever budget surplus on the back of booming iron ore prices.
The mining state posted a $5.6 billion surplus for the 2020-21 financial year, which was $2.5 billion more than anticipated by Treasury officials in February thanks to $11.3 billion in royalties paid by its iron ore sector. WA’s next biggest surplus was $2.7 billion, recorded in 2007.
Mr McGowan said on Friday that “all the other states are awash with debt”.
He said Friday was “another devastating day” for NSW, “and they’ve been through many of them”.
WA had provided nearly 300,000 N95 masks to the NSW health system and a medical team to assist in western NSW. Fifty contact tracers from WA were also working full-time to assist the eastern state.
“We’re doing everything we can to help NSW during this difficult period,” Mr McGowan said.
The day’s headlines at a glance
By Michaela Whitbourn
Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the day’s events. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you need to know:
- NSW reported 1542 new local coronavirus cases and nine deaths on Friday, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced she would no longer be holding daily COVID-19 press conferences. From Monday, NSW Health will provide a daily update via an online video, a strategy previously used when case numbers were low. Based on modelling by the Burnet Institute, released by NSW Health this week, Ms Berejiklian said “we are expecting the peak number of cases to happen in the next week or so”.
- Ms Berejiklian defended the timing of her decision on daily press conferences, saying “I will turn up when I need to but to expect the leader of the government indefinitely to do this every day means that I am not doing my job properly”. She said the government would continue to “present to the community on a needs basis”. “I need to make sure we have a good balance and we live with COVID and I am accountable every day,” she said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday.Credit:James Brickwood
- The nine new deaths recorded in NSW included a man in his 30s from Nepean Blue Mountains and a woman in her 40s from south-western Sydney. Two other people – a man in his 70s from the city’s south and a man in his 60s from the west – died at home. A man in his 70s from south-east Sydney, a woman in her 50s from the Central Coast, a man in his 60s from western Sydney, a woman in her 80s from western Sydney and a man in his 50s from south-west Sydney also died.
- NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale said “all of these individuals had underlying health conditions. Three were fully vaccinated, three had had a single dose of a vaccine and three were unvaccinated. As we have seen today ... a number of those two individuals were younger people and it is an important reminder for everybody in the community of the need to be vaccinated, to be aware that COVID-19 causes serious illness, hospitalisations, ICU admission, and death.” There are now 1156 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital, 207 of whom are in intensive care. Of those in ICU, 89 require ventilation.
Victoria’s COVID-19 commander, Jeroen Weimar.Credit:Jason South
- Victoria has recorded 334 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19, a new record during the current outbreak, and one death. Yesterday’s total was 324 local cases. There are now 127 people in hospital, up by 16 from yesterday’s update, 90 per cent of whom have not any any vaccine. The other 10 per cent had had one jab. Nobody in hospital in Victoria is fully vaccinated.
- A Victorian man who died with COVID-19 on Thursday, aged in his 70s and from Coburg in Melbourne’s north, was not vaccinated and died in hospital. Victoria’s coronavirus response commander, Jeroen Weimar, said 52 per cent of the state’s vaccines were being allocated to Melbourne’s north and the west because it was where the worst of the outbreak has taken hold. The residents there are also younger and have only recently had broad access to vaccines.
Queensland Premier Annastacia PalaszczukCredit:Matt Dennien
- Queensland has reported one new local case of COVID-19 in a school student as authorities race to control a new COVID-19 scare stemming from an infected NSW truck driver who travelled through the populated south east this week. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the case detected in a 13-year-old, who attends St Thomas More College in Sunnybank, was still under investigation. However, students would be sent home as a precaution.
- The ACT has recorded 24 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19, up from yesterday’s total of 15 cases. Six people were out and about in the community for at least some of their infectious period. There are now 15 people hospitalised with COVID-19 in the nation’s capital. There are 238 active cases of coronavirus across the ACT. As revealed yesterday, Chief Minister Andrew Barr says we can expect a cautious road map out of lockdown from next week.
- New Zealand has recorded 11 new cases of COVID-19 in the community, all of which were in Auckland region. Auckland remains under strict lockdown while the rest of the country has stepped down two levels of restrictions, allowing people to return to work and school. Masks must be worn indoors.
Broede Carmody is signing off on the blog for today. I will keep you informed of the latest news throughout the afternoon and evening.
Watch: West Australian Premier addresses the media
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan is expected to address the media at about 10.45am local time or 12.45 pm AEST.
You can watch the press conference live here.
Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks to be released before HSC results in NSW this year
By Jordan Baker
Australian Tertiary Admission Ranks will be released to NSW students before Higher School Certificate results this year, with ATARs released on January 20 and HSC results on the 24th.
Both will be released later than usual this year because the HSC has been delayed until November 9.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell.Credit:James Brickwood
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the fairest decision for the class of 2021 was to hold all exams.
“We are doing all of the HSC exams, it’s so important that each and every student across the state has the ability to show what they know,” said Ms Mitchell.
“Every student who wants to go to university will be able to do so. They’ll have time to think about what courses they want to do.“
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said during today’s COVID-19 update that “the most important thing for all our year 12 students to know is that they will qualify for the HSC”.
“Many have worked a long time to achieve those results and the NSW Education Department has been working with Health to find the best way to do that, and mental health has been top of mind.
“It is also important to note that many experts have been advising government that students need something to work towards to feel motivated and feel that they have achieved the HSC. All those things have been taken into account as well as getting advice from independent bodies and advisory bodies in NSW.”
In Victoria, ATARs and exam results will be available in December.
ACT records 24 new cases of COVID-19
By Broede Carmody
The ACT’s daily coronavirus numbers are in.
The territory has recorded 24 new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19. That figure is up from yesterday’s 15 local cases.
Of today’s 24 new cases, 18 are linked to known outbreaks. This means there are, at this stage, six mystery cases.
Six were out and about in the community for at least some of their infectious period.
There are now 15 people hospitalised with COVID-19 in the nation’s capital. There are 238 active cases of coronavirus across the ACT.
As revealed yesterday, Chief Minister Andrew Barr says we can expect a road map out of lockdown from next week.
Regional NSW businesses can refuse unvaccinated patrons, community sport stays shut
By Mary Ward
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says regional NSW businesses could choose to refuse unvaccinated patrons when they reopen tomorrow.
A select number of regional NSW local government areas will exit stay-at-home orders on Saturday, including the North and Mid North coasts of NSW, the Riverina, Albury and the Murrumbidgee.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro on Friday.Credit:James Brickwood
They will move to the same restrictions that will be in place for fully vaccinated people in NSW once 70 per cent of people aged 16 and over in the state are vaccinated, although there is no vaccination requirement for residents of these areas until the state hits that 70 per cent target.
Mr Hazzard said businesses could choose to enforce a vaccination mandate if they wanted.
“When you walk into the door of the business, you are there on the basis of the terms you come in,” he said.
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said community sport was not able to return under the state’s 70 per cent road map because of a lack of ability to control spectators and volunteers.
“We do not have a QR code system on all our ovals; volunteers are running canteens,” Mr Barilaro said, adding the choice was a decision to “stay on the side of caution”.
The Deputy Premier was also asked a number of questions about what the reopening of NSW will mean for regional communities, particularly this weekend as some communities exit stay-at-home orders.
“We lifted restrictions still in a restricted environment,” he said. “Those in regional NSW, if you are travelling around ... if you travel into government area in current lockdown, those stay-at-home rules apply to you.”
The following regional local government areas will remain under lockdown: Bathurst, Bega, Blayney, Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Cabonne, Central Coast, Central Darling, Cessnock, Dubbo, Dungog, Eurobodalla, Forbes, Gilgandra, Goulburn Mulwarre, Kiama, Lake Macquarie, Lithgow, Maitland, Mid-Coast, Mid-Western, Muswellbrook, Narrabri, Narromine, Newcastle, Orange, Parkes, Port Stephens, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Singleton, Snowy Monaro, Upper Hunter, Walgett and Wingecarribee.
Some ‘lumpiness in supply’ of COVID-19 vaccines to young people, NSW Premier concedes
By Mary Ward
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she believes young people will have had sufficient opportunity to be fully vaccinated by the time the state reopens.
Currently, the majority of people aged 40 and under in NSW are not fully vaccinated, with many only gaining access to the Pfizer vaccine in the past month and others deciding to receive AstraZeneca with a longer dose interval.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Friday.Credit:James Brickwood
Some practitioners administering Pfizer doses in recent weeks have also used an eight-week dose interval, due to supply concerns.
Asked if she was concerned that numbers of hospitality and retail workers in the state – mostly younger people – would not be fully vaccinated by the time the state starts easing restrictions when 70 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated, the Premier said she believed access had been adequate in Sydney.
“There is not a single young person in a huge chunk of Greater Sydney who has not been offered the vaccine,” she said.
With daily dose rates declining in NSW, the Premier admitted there was a “lumpiness in supply, especially for younger people” in September, and the state was also waiting for the big group of people who received their first dose a few weeks ago to become eligible for their second.
Melbourne still not on NSW’s trajectory, Weimar says
By Rachel Eddie
Victoria’s COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar does not believe Melbourne’s outbreak is on the same trajectory as Sydney’s despite growing case numbers.
Mr Weimar said the focus was on containing widespread transmission in the north and western suburbs, but believes that holding onto restrictions for the time being would stop Melbourne from catching up to Sydney’s caseload.
Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar. Credit:Justin McManus
“I think it is still in our hands,” Mr Weimar said.
“We have it within us, if we grip this up, stick with those directions, stick with those difficult things we’re being asked to do for a relatively short period of time.”
Premier Daniel Andrews has previously acknowledged lockdown restrictions will not be able to bring the Delta outbreak down to zero and has shifted his focus to vaccinations.
Mr Weimar said people in metropolitan Melbourne can go to any vaccination centre within Melbourne, but could not travel into the regions.
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2021-09-10 03:24:37Z
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